cholesterol and weight

[Deleted]

For cholesterol I would take the pill. If you end up with plaque build up in your arteries you risk stroke and nasty stuff like vascular dementia. I think the cholesterol prescriptions are a good option while you also work on changing your diet. It lets you make progress quicklybut you must make the commitment to changing your diet. Once you get it back under control and have a healthier diet and can get some exercise you can go back off the pill and then get re-tested to see how you have progressed.

[truthbound]

What warnings? Unless you are eating from the Gulf I wouldn't worry.

[resolution]

I've been on the meds for about 10 years. I didn't have any side effects on Crestor. Recently I was switched to Lipitor when it became generic. I had some odd sensations in hands and feet on the Lipitor, so they cut my dosage in half and it went away. I take blood tests once a year so they can monitor my kidney functions on the meds.

[Deleted]

cholesterol and weight are not directly related.  My sister had cholesterol over 300 and she was probably 115 lbs.  she was a competitive swimmer (still holds a record in NJ) and is a year round lifeguard on the atlantic ocean.  heredity is the bigger factor in cholesterol numbers.

[lazysundays]

Try flax seed or fish oil supplements

[lazysundays]

Oh and upping the Synthroid will actually increase your metabolism. I agree about cholesterol and weight. I had a high cholesterol in college when I weighed 110 lbs. your "bad" cholesterol is over 100. It's not possible for your "good" cholesterol to be over 100. Your goal is to get the bad cholesterol below 100 and your good up, to around 45-50 or more -that one differs based on gender.

Eat more handfuls of nuts, like almonds or flaxseed to increase good cholesterol. Flaxseed supplements can also replace fish oil supplements for those people who hate the fish smell. Cardio exercise helps with cholesterol too.

[steph08]

Cholesterol meds were hell on my dad's joints - I don't know the technical terminology and such - but it basically sucked all the fat/lubrication out of his joints. He still walks pretty slowly and his hips start to hurt after just a little while. But he used to not be able to walk 20 steps without taking a break because he was in so much pain.

But my dad has a lot of reactions to meds that other people can take (like half of a low-dose pain pill makes him vomit repeatedly and have to lay in bed for two days).

So I would try to control it yourself before taking the meds. My dad eats a Mediterranean diet now (a lot of fish, veggies, nuts, dried fruit, etc.) and takes Metamucil every day, which supposedly helps with cholesterol.

He also swims a mile three times/week for exercise and it doesn't hurt his joints.

[justme]

I sometimes have high cholesterol. Thanks to autoimmune disorders that have a 'symptom' of raising it. (BTW, if your thyroid is Hashimotos - that's one of the ones that can raise cholesterol.) My good cholesterol has always been really high, so because I'm already taking so many pills my doctor has just sent me off with try to eat better.

Two things I've noticed that made my cholesterol dip:

I tried taking fiber supplements. It was a tri-fiber pill and I did research to find out the right fibers to take. Those dropped my cholesterol pretty fast. 

But I sucked at continuing to take it.

My cholesterol was really low the last time they tested it, the main thing I did was cut out more processed foods - and I never ate that much to begin with. The only things I don't make myself anymore are yogurt (try to eat the ones with fewer ingredients), cheese (but that's not really processed anyways), potato bread (for sandwiches), and meat/cheese for sandwiches (Boar's Head so cheese is just milk/cultures, and the meat doesn't have those fillers and preservatives and stuff). I'll occasionally eat more processed things. But that lowered it. Even though I was on a kick of home Alfredo pasta so I was eating pasta, creme, and cheese quite often up before the test.

ETA: The fiber pills I have contain psyllium, oat bran and apple pectin.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I like fruits and veggies. Also oriental food

Do you make your own Oriental food, or order-in?? Most Oriental food take-outs and restaurants liberally lace their food with MSG - bad, bad, bad for your body - and even worse for your heart. They add it to the food while cooking to enhance the flavor AND color.

If you cook your own Oriental food in your own wok, you can control what you cook and how you prepare it. I do a lot of stir-fry dishes - veggies, chicken, beef, fried rice, seafood (shrimp) etc - and use special oils and never MSG. I also avoid using salt for most foods (unless adding it to something cooking, like potatoes, turnips, etc). Usually there's just a peppermill on my table for seasoning after cooking.

[truthbound]

Jun 12, 2014 9:01:55 GMT -5 steph08 said:

Cholesterol meds were hell on my dad's joints - I don't know the technical terminology and such - but it basically sucked all the fat/lubrication out of his joints. He still walks pretty slowly and his hips start to hurt after just a little while. But he used to not be able to walk 20 steps without taking a break because he was in so much pain.

But my dad has a lot of reactions to meds that other people can take (like half of a low-dose pain pill makes him vomit repeatedly and have to lay in bed for two days).

So I would try to control it yourself before taking the meds. My dad eats a Mediterranean diet now (a lot of fish, veggies, nuts, dried fruit, etc.) and takes Metamucil every day, which supposedly helps with cholesterol.

He also swims a mile three times/week for exercise and it doesn't hurt his joints.

Your dad's problems are not surprising. The way these things work is by preventing the liver from producing cholesterol among other things. The body then tries to compensate which results in a myriad of problems. How anyone could think fundamentally changing how their organs work is going to result in a happy ending is beyond me.

[Blonde Granny]

I've been on lovastatin for about 5 years and no problem. The one I don't like is that darn HCT diuretic. It's not bad enough that 1 cup of coffee equals 5 trips to the bathroom, it adds another 5 because of the pill. On the days we travel long distances by car I just don't take it.

[ZaireinHD]

Jun 12, 2014 7:12:18 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

cholesterol and weight are not directly related.  My sister had cholesterol over 300 and she was probably 115 lbs.  she was a competitive swimmer (still holds a record in NJ) and is a year round lifeguard on the atlantic ocean.  heredity is the bigger factor in cholesterol numbers.

Well !!
I just learned something new


sorry I eat bacon!

[ZaireinHD]

yea! eggs for Sunday Breakfast! do it! and enjoy!


I ONLY have bacon on a Sunday breakfast and it's NOT every Sunday AND it could be a month or close to two months in between

[tractor]

My cholesterol is on the high side (215), which is normal for me. The thing I have to watch are my triglycerides which are exceptionally high (520), so my doctor recently put me of Tricor to help get then down. The first week I had a hard time sleeping, but after that I haven't really noticed any side effects other than loosing weight. I know it not something most people would complain about, but the meds somehow bind with fat and speed elimination of the fats before they get into my blood stream. I am now hungry all the time and have increased my calorie intake, but have still averaged about 1 lb a week in weight loss.

[Artemis Windsong]

My doc slammed me for cholesterol and said I was getting meds.  No way, doc.  The first side effect is headache. 

I started artichoke extract capsules, lecithin and read every box for cholesterol count.  I usually don't make 25 on the label counts.  What probably increases mine is venison.

I need to go get the good, the bad, and overall done again.  I dropped the overall from 209 to 203 in 4 months.  The good dropped also but don't recall to what.  I was checked at one of those community screenings.  I had spent the morning exercising so the doc tells me to go for a walk. 

I'll get a screening done at city nursing to see where I'm at in July.  I might consider seeing a dietician as suggested depending on how much it costs and what is actually paid by insurance.

[lazysundays]

The good cholesterol should be high people. HDL -good cholesterol. Increase it. LDL- bad cholesterol, bring this one below 100. Triglycerides need to go below 150.

[NoNamePerson]

Jun 12, 2014 4:50:34 GMT -5 truthbound said:

What warnings? Unless you are eating from the Gulf I wouldn't worry.

And the Atlantic, Pacific and fish coated with chemicals that is imported... 

[ZaireinHD]

my bad I forgot I do sometimes get bacon at Burger King / Wendys!

[morrisr2d2]

It really is all diet. I was lucky enough that I debunked the myth in my family that our high cholesterol is genetic. Everyone on my moms side has it and my doc clocked me at 237. Said get it down or go on meds. I didn't want more meds already on high bp meds. So I went pescaterian. Gave up all meat but fish, milk and cheese and ate lots of natural foods. Cholesterol dropped to 157 in two months. The modern diet is just so bad.

[morrisr2d2]

Oh and dropped 25 lbs in the process.

[luckyme]

Well, I was just for yearly physical, and my cholesterol hovers around 250/260.  I didn't get the HDL levels, but it is usually pretty high.

I have made lots of dietary changes in the past year, EVERYTHING posted here:  fish oil, flaxseed, high fiber, etc.    Also increased exercising, lost weight, and eliminated processed food.  Didn't do a damn thing.

However, I also have slightly elevated liver enzymes, again for years, so Dr did not prescribe cholesterol meds, as I believe they are hard on the liver. 

He didn't seem to concerned about it.  I have low blood pressure, and no history of heart disease in family.